CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2026-110022NVD status: Deferred

PLCnext Engineer: Download of Code Without Integrity Check

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2026-110022 is a high-severity download of code without integrity check vulnerability in PLCnext Engineer from Phoenix Contact, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.4 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists version 2026.6 as the first without the flaw, so updating PLCnext Engineer to that release or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.11% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update PLCnext Engineer to 2026.6 or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
Phoenix ContactPLCnext Engineerbefore 2026.62026.6

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
NoneNo account or login is needed.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA (cert.vde.com).

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 4.08.6HighCNA (cert.vde.com)
CVSS 3.18.4HighCNA (cert.vde.com)

Official description

The PFI plugin framework deploys executable assemblies (DLLs) from a signed plugin package into the local plugin repository and loads them via reflection, but the deployment routine processes archive entries that were never covered by the signature verification. An unauthenticated local attacker can replace an unsigned DLL outside the signed prefix in the archive passes verification and overwrites the legitimate signed assembly at the same destination path. The plugin loader then instantiates the attacker-supplied code without any additional integrity check resulting in a full compromise of the affected systems.

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Download of Code Without Integrity Check

The product downloads source code or an executable from a remote location and executes the code without sufficiently verifying the origin and integrity of the code.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Perform proper forward and reverse DNS lookups to detect DNS spoofing.
  • Encrypt the code with a reliable encryption scheme before transmitting.
  • Run your code using the lowest privileges that are required to accomplish the necessary tasks. If possible, create isolated accounts with limited privileges that are only used for a single task. That way, a successful attack will not immediately give the attacker access to the rest of the software or its environment. For example, database applications rarely need to run as the database administrator, especially in day-to-day operations.

More Download of Code Without Integrity Check vulnerabilities (CWE-494)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Other vulnerabilities in PLCnext Engineer

All PLCnext Engineer vulnerabilities

Recent Download of Code Without Integrity Check vulnerabilities

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